Number of cyber charter schools to expand to 15 statewide

By Diana Dillaber Murray, For the Daily Tribune

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Oakland County students who are already enrolled in Michigan’s only two cyber charter schools will have more options now that Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law legislation that allows the number of schools offering all classes on computers to increase to 15 by 2015.

Many Oakland County superintendents and other educators are opposed to the move to allow more cyber schools before there is more evaluation on the two existing schools that can enroll students anywhere in the state.

They also objected because the schools will take dollars from their home school district because when students attend the free charter schools the state funnels money that would have gone to the child’s home district to the charter school.

The two public online charter academies in operation now are Michigan Student Connection, based in Okemos, which is authorized by Ferris State University and its charter office; and Michigan Virtual Charter Academy, based in Grand Rapids and authorized by Grand Valley State University.

Forty-two Oakland County public school students are enrolled at Michigan Virtual and 47 at Michigan Student Connection. Geographical location doesn’t matter with schools that don’t require students to go to a building to meet with teachers.

In reaction to the law that allows more cyber schools, Lawrence Wells, director of Ferris State University Charter Schools Office, said he supports choice.

“Parents need options and opportunities” for their children, he said. However, Wells acknowledged the cyber schools are not for everybody.

Bryan Klochack, principal of Michigan Virtual, said, “We are very excited about the opportunity to increase student enrollment. We have had a waiting list for two years.”

Restriction under former laws kept enrollment at 400 and, in the second year, they were able to go up to 1,000. Under the new law, since the school is in its third year, the online school could conceivably grow to 10,000.

However, that “probably won’t happen,” Klochack said, because “we are going to grow with quality. It is a high-quality curriculum and relationships are the backbone of our service.”

He said a recent independent parent survey indicated 92 percent gave the school an A or B and would recommend it.

Under the new law signed by Snyder this week, five free online cyber charter schools can open by 2013, 10 by 2014 and 15 by 2015. The number of students at each can gradually increase from 2,500 the first year, to 5,000 the second year and 10,000 the third year. When the number reaches 30,000, no more students can enroll.

Oakland University, which has authorized several charter schools, is not planning to authorize a cyber school anytime soon, said School of Education and Human Services Dean Louis Gallien.

“There are too many questions in our minds of the efficacy of the cyber school,” Gallien said.

“First of all, who is profiting? A lot of times, for-profits that haven’t thought through the process and smell the money” are operating such schools, he said.

From what he knows about the process nationwide, Gallien said, “For it to work, you have to have self-motivated students and committed parents.”

“Students work on classes up to six hours a day and many would be home alone doing it,” he noted.

“There is enough hesitation and some people are downright disillusioned with cyber schools,” Gallien said.

Longtime education professor Ron Cramer said, “Without a personal presence and serious personal influence on students, I do not believe that the online teacher can have a sufficient presence to make a distinct impression on students.”